This Beef Kafta Recipe turns a classic Lebanese dish into something possible at home on a weeknight. The succulent grilled meat kabobs are flavored with garlic, onions and lots of dried herbs and spices. Serve simply with yogurt dipping sauce, or bowl-style for a larger meal.

“Great kafta and yogurt sauce recipes! I made [this] with ground chicken, and it was really delicious, definitely a keeper! I doubled the recipe, which was a good decision because we had enough for lunches plus a container to freeze and enjoy later on.”

—Michele

If you’ve seen the term “kafta” or “kofta” on a Lebanese restaurant menu and have been unsure of what it might be or if you’d like it, this post is for you!

To quickly explain, this dish is a mixture of ground beef and/or lamb, mixed with onion and spices, formed into a patty, log or meatball, and then grilled.

Even if this is your first time hearing this term, I’m here to convince you that this dish is a great make-at-home weeknight dinner with huge flavor!

It can be made with your choice of ground meat, it comes together in about 30 minutes, and you can serve it on its own with side dishes of your choice, or bowl-style with rice, a fresh salad, and pita bread.

Why You’ll Love This Beef Kafta Recipe

• Both the meat mixture and the yogurt sauce can be made the night before, making this even faster for a weeknight.
• Sub ground lamb, chicken or turkey for the beef if you prefer!
• Great for dinner, but works really well as a party appetizer too. Everybody love kabobs with dipping sauce.

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This Chicken Shawarma recipe is super fast to put together thanks to a marinade and a sauce with many common ingredients, so you can stir them together at the same time.

This Shawarma Chicken is a Detroit classic!

“Such a great recipe and easy to adapt to your own heat level. The chicken is so, so good! If you don’t think you like chicken thighs, this is the recipe for you.”

—Sara

I’ve introduced you to many classic Detroit foods, including Detroit style pizza and corned beef egg rolls. And thanks to a large Middle Eastern population, Detroit is also famous for our chicken shawarma!

It’s sold everywhere from ballparks to gas stations, with my favorite being from a restaurant called Bucharest Grill. Metro Detroiters eat this dish at tailgates, pub crawls, gatherings, and at home. Today, I am sharing my homemade version of this irresistible wrap sandwich.

While it may look like a long list of ingredients, it’s very fast to put together. In fact, you can make the chicken shawarma marinade and the sauce for the wraps at the same time. I’ll also offer shortcut ideas to make it even easier for a busy weeknight.

Why you will love this Chicken Shawarma Recipe

• A burst of flavor in every bite. The spiced chicken, creamy sauce and tangy pickles come together to make magic.
• Great as a meal prep recipe. The chicken can be cooked and the sauce can be made in advance, then just assemble the wraps when you’re ready to eat.
• Made with lots of gut-healthy Greek yogurt. Get those probiotics in in the tastiest way possible!

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“Just made this dressing in 5 minutes and it’s absolutely delicious! What I really love is that I had all the ingredients in my fridge/pantry already. That’s always a huge plus finding a recipe with everyday ingredients. This will be a new staple for me!”

—Jessie

I believe that one of the easiest but most impactful ways to take your home cooking up a notch is to make homemade salad dressings.

While jarred salad dressings are certainly quick and easy, they’re also generally filled with quite a bit of preservatives (like sodium and sugar) and artificial ingredients. Same goes for bottled meat marinades and glazes, which is why I make my own flat iron steak marinade and balsamic vinegar reduction.

Additionally, the flavor can be really hit or miss, and you usually don’t know how it’s going to taste until you’ve already committed and purchased an entire bottle. There’s nothing worse than spending $6 or even more on a fancy bottled dressing and discovering that nobody in your family likes it.

That’s why I love to make homemade salad dressings like miso dressing and citrus salad dressing.

Today, allow me to show you how another homemade salad dressing with big flavor can come together quickly and easily, and wow your family and friends.

The combination of lemon and feta can’t be beat – I’ve already made sure of that with my Greek yogurt mashed potatoes.

This feta dressing recipe is inspired by the salad dressing at a local Lebanese restaurant. It’s an incredibly versatile recipe to have in your back pocket, especially to toss with greens and serve alongside Greek lasagna, lamb bolognese or meat sauce rigatoni.

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Something about this time of year makes tiny sandwiches just feel oh so right. Whether it’s leftover glazed turkey on a homemade yeast roll with cranberry sauce, or a slice of pineapple ham on a small piece of crusty baguette with salted butter, it just tastes great.

But sliders don’t have to be just a way to use up leftovers. They can be their own special, dare I say elegant, dish.

These lamb sliders start with a succulent roasted boneless leg of lamb generously rubbed with warming spices. The meat is put on a slider bun and dressed up with pickled radishes and pesto mayo.

Bookmark this lamb slider recipe for a party this festive season! You can also use leftover lamb from a holiday dinner to make these sliders.

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About This Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe

This is THE recipe. The one I make when somebody sick, somebody is grieving, or somebody has a new baby.

It’s even the recipe I make when I’m sick myself, because it’s so easy that I can make it even when I’m not feeling well.

It’s the type of recipe where you don’t need to pre-cook anything, and there’s no extra steps at the end. There’s no opening the pot and adding anything halfway through.

It’s 100% as simple as chopping some sausage and a few veggies, putting everything in the Instant Pot, turning it on, letting it cook, and then grabbing a bowl and eating.

While my Slow Cooker Lentil Soup is also great, I actually love this Instant Pot version better. Even though it’s the exact same ingredients, the pressure cooking allows the flavors to really develop and meld together to create a richly flavored soup that tastes like it has cooked FAR longer than 15 minutes!

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Tahini Lemon Dressing

In culinary school, the instructors always told me I made GREAT salad dressings, and you know what? I believed them.

Old-school, gloppy, heavy dressings won’t find many friends around here. I prefer them to be light, made with fresh ingredients, and almost always, lots of lemon juice.

This Lemon Tahini Dressing is made using the same guidelines I used in school. It’s rich and creamy from the tahini while being light enough to use as more than than just a salad dressing. It’s a dip, a sauce, and yes, a really, really good dressing.

The post Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing appeared first on Foxes Love Lemons.

If I’m being honest, I should have just named this salad “Lori’s Favorite Foods Salad.” Because that’s exactly what it is, including the beets.

Side note: Last week, I asked my followers on Facebook about their least favorite foods, and somebody said beets! I was basically like “um, beets are my favorite food!”

The post Lentil & Roasted Beet Salad with Maple-Tahini Dressing appeared first on Foxes Love Lemons.

This Warm Sautéed Apple & Lentil Salad is a Middle-Eastern inspired vegetarian side dish packed with flavor!

“Made this tonight and it was so good. Perfect for a colder night. We don’t eat meat, so it had plenty of protein for us. Loved the texture that the lemon juice and cheese created with the dried fruits and apple.”

—Erika

This Lentil Salad is a Crowd Pleaser

There’s a lot of lentil salads out there, but this one might be the most interesting you’ll find.

With a culinary school background and a knack for creating restaurant-quality dishes at home, I chose each ingredient for this warm lentil salad carefully.

The balance of different flavors (earthy, salty, sweet, creamy) and textures (chewy, crunchy, soft) will have everybody you serve it to coming back for another scoop.

Why you’ll love this Warm Lentil Salad

• Can be served as a warm side dish or a cold lunch salad.
• Packed with protein and fiber, this salad is a wholesome addition to any meal.
• Easy to prepare, making it perfect for busy weeknights.

The post Green Lentil Salad appeared first on Foxes Love Lemons.

A few times a month, I assemble what I call a “platter dinner.” Sometimes it’s premeditated (like this one) and other times it’s literally just filling a big cutting board with all of the odds and ends I find around the kitchen, adding a bread basket and calling it a meal.

Either way, it’s one of my favorite ways to eat dinner. It’s low-stress, low-mess and a lot of fun.

The post Grilled Lamb Sandwich Platter appeared first on Foxes Love Lemons.

Not a fan of fruity yogurt? Try a bowl of savory yogurt with everything bagel or caprese toppings, or try one of our many savory Greek yogurt recipes.

Explore The World of Savory Yogurt

I’ve always believed that yogurt can be more than a sweet snack. For years, 90% of the yogurt in my household has been consumed in a savory capacity.

Often, I’ll use it as a tangy sauce to serve with beef kafta, chicken shawarma or roasted vegetables. It’s also an ingredient used in many savory recipes around here.

If you’re a fellow savory lover – or even just savory yogurt curious – this post is for you. I’m sharing the best toppings for a simple bowl of savory yogurt, as well as my favorite ways to use yogurt in savory recipes.

Why You Will Love These Savory Yogurt Recipes

• These recipes break free from the traditional yogurt + fruit sweet recipes. These bold, savory combinations will surprise your tastebuds in the best way.
• Greek yogurt is packed with protein and nutrition, making these savory snack ideas a satisfying choice.
• Whether you prefer Mediterranean toppings, fresh veggies or the savory seeds of an everything bagel, these ideas can be tailored to your cravings.

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